The opening is sublimely confident, finding just the right mood of mystery and exaltation; the cellos singing over the violins' tremolando are sumptuous. Dynamics in the third theme of running octaves are carefully graded and a feeling of lightness pervades the whole movement, despite the grandeur of its burden. The concluding coda is simply glorious . . . The Scherzo is splendidly joyous, animated and flexible, and every instrumental line is brought out cleanly . . . The Trio is butter-smooth, the strings swelling and sliding seductively, with alternately urbane then perky interventions from the woodwind and brass. That perkiness spills over into the opening of the finale, which is first alert and high-spirited, then quizzical, then three minutes in the brass roars menacingly like a herd of Cretan bulls. The playing is really sharp and tight; Nelsons maintains tension throughout this potentially fragmentary movement by following Bruckner's instructions and avoiding the temptation of simply speeding up; thus the conclusion is suitably monumental . . . There is no shortage of classic, competitive recordings of this symphony from great Bruckner conductors . . . the excellence of the recorded sound and the superlative quality of the orchestral playing support Nelsons' masterly interpretation so well that it must be counted in many ways their equal.

The orchestra sounds absolutely magnificent -- the unforced, majestic tone quality of the brass instruments is an especial pleasure throughout. Furthermore, the sound is well balanced and clear. Thus, for example, when the brass are heard in all their collective splendour at the end of the first movement of the symphony you can still hear the violins quite clearly. This is first rate sound . . . [Wagner / "Siegfried's Funeral March"]: Nelsons leads a performance which is deeply felt yet not to the point of over-emphasis. In particular, I approve of the way that he keeps the music moving forward at the March's great climax. This is a performance that leavens grief with nobility . . . [Bruckner 7]: we hear beauty of phrasing and of line while the orchestral textures are ideal for Bruckner. The orchestra displays a tremendous dynamic range -- which the engineers convey with great success . . . Persuasively conducted, superbly played and expertly recorded, this is a very considerable Bruckner Seventh and a noble celebration of this illustrious orchestra's 275 years of music-making. This Andris Nelsons series is developing into a Bruckner cycle of note.

Record Review /
John Quinn,
MusicWeb International (Coventry) / 01. July 2018